Latest Pre-Kindergarten News

February 17, 2005
Gov. Bredesen emphasizes importance of pre-K program (Associated Press)
MEMPHIS — Gov. Phil Bredesen on Wednesday again emphasized the importance of expanding the state’s preschool program and briefly outlined how he planned to fund it. "To put it simply: Pre-K is the right thing to do for our children and it’s a good return on our investment," the governor told the Rotary Club in Memphis. "That’s why I’m proposing $25 million in new money, this year from excess lottery funds, as an initial investment toward establishing a statewide voluntary pre-K program." Bredesen said if education is going to improve in Tennessee it’s important that 4-year-olds have access to a quality preschool program. He cited the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that "adults who participated in a high-quality pre-K program are more likely to be literate and to be enrolled in college." "They’re also less likely to drop out of school, to be on welfare or to be arrested," he said. Bredesen is hoping to duplicate efforts other states have had preparing 4-year-olds for school. He wants funding for the expanded program to come initially from lottery receipts.

Bredesen talks up using lottery funds for pre-K (Tennessean)
But Cohen says college scholarships need to be expanded to keep pace with tuition. f he had to choose, Gov. Phil Bredesen would use excess lottery money to expand prekindergarten programs instead of increasing the value of college scholarships. Bredesen stumped Wednesday in Memphis for his proposal to use $25 million in lottery funds to expand pre-K programs for at-risk 4-year-olds. In remarks to the media after a Rotary Club speech at The Peabody, Bredesen said, "I think pre-K is more important, so if it came down to either-or, I'd support pre-K," he said. He also said he hopes scholarship expansion can be accommodated. Spending lottery money for pre-K has drawn fire, particularly from Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, one of the lottery's architects. He says lottery scholarships need to be expanded to keep up with tuition. "In four, five, six years, tuition will have gone up. The scholarships will be meaningless. They will not be an incentive to keep the best and brightest in the state," Cohen said from Nashville. "It'll only take 8 or 9 percent increases over five or six years for the scholarship to be worth half as much." Under Bredesen's proposal, the use of lottery funds would add another 9,000 children to the state's current $10 million pre-K initiative, which serves about 3,000 students.

February 16, 2005
Comptroller: Lottery should adequately fund scholarships, pre-K (AP)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Comptroller John Morgan assured members of the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday that the state's lottery will be able to adequately fund college scholarships as well as the governor's proposed preschool initiative. "Absent changes to that program, we think there are sufficient moneys coming from the lottery to sustain that scholarship program on an ongoing basis and dedicate $25 million to pre-kindergarten," Morgan said. Gov. Phil Bredesen is hoping to duplicate efforts other states have had preparing 4-year-olds for school. He wants funding for the expanded program to come initially from the lottery receipts. During its first year, the lottery - with about $235 million in profits - is bringing in more money than is being used for the college scholarship program, with officials predicting a $60 million to $70 million surplus. However, some lawmakers feel the state is jumping the gun by committing millions of dollars to a lottery that is still in its early stages.

February 9, 2005
The price tag on Pre-K ( Chattanooga Times-Free Press)(Subscription Required)
Local school districts would have to match funds equal to the state’s education funding formula under Gov. Phil Bredesen’s plan. Hamilton County Schools officials said Tuesday they like Gov. Phil Bredesen’s proposal to expand pre-kindergarten education, but opening new programs here is unlikely without more money. "(Adding pre-k ) is one of the most beneficial things we could do, but the money is still not there," Hamilton County Board of Education member Debbie Colburn said. "I don’t see where in the world we would get it." Gov. Bredesen’s budget proposal included $25 million from excess lottery funds to expand the state’s pilot pre-kindergarten program. If approved, local school districts may apply for grants. The districts will have to provide a local match equal to their share of the state’s education funding formula, the Basic Education Plan. Sen. David Fowler, R-Signal Mountain, said the state needs to fix K-12 funding before adding new programs. "At a time when we are last in state-shared funding from the BEP, the last thing I’m interested in is putting ourselves in a position where state funding is diverted to a new program," Sen. Fowler said.

February 8, 2005
Bredesen urges parents to visit Pre-K Web site ( Jackson Sun)
Parents, teachers, childcare providers and others interested in early childhood education now have an online resource at their fingertips. A new state Web site, ''TNPreK.org,'' was recently launched as a resource for those who would like information about early childhood education, according to Gov. Phil Bredesen's office. ''When I meet with groups of teachers, I often ask them, 'If you had another dollar to spend on education, where would you put it?' Overwhelmingly, they say pre-K,'' Bredesen said in a news release. ''I urge every Tennessean to visit this Web site and see what our teachers are talking about - a quality early childhood education program that will give our children a crucial head start in life.'' Visitors to the Web site can read about hands-on learning activities that are taking place in 148 pre-K classrooms across the state and review studies showing how these lessons foster a child's curiosity, social development, literacy and math and science skills. Tennesseans can also view Bredesen's plan to expand the state's pre-kindergarten initiative, which began in 1998 as a pilot effort for at-risk children, into a statewide program available to every 4-year-old in the state.

February 7, 2005
Editorial: Governor is on track with school focus ( Nashville Business Journal)
Gov. Phil Bredesen needed only 28 minutes this week to outline his priorities for the coming fiscal year and beyond, but really his speech boiled down to one word: education. Noting his disdain for Tennessee's poor showing among the states in education rankings, Bredesen proposed several new initiatives including expanded pre-kindergarten programs and a professional development program for teachers. In putting together a $25 billion spending plan - $11.2 billion of it from state money - the governor is proposing more than $194 million in new funding for education, covering everything from basics like books and buses to after-care programs to at-risk student initiatives. In doing so, he is making the difficult and painful decision to invest dollars now spent today on the sick on the promise of tomorrow. TennCare is the elephant in the room in any conversation on state spending, state policy and the state's future. Bredesen was elected in large part because of his promise to "fix" TennCare, the state's alternative to the federal Medicaid program. His reform package would have preserved the program but with reduced benefits, a move regrettably rejected by advocacy groups, which have waged their battle in the federal courts. Now, the administration plans to end benefits for more than 323,000 adults on TennCare. Bredesen hopes to use $575 million in TennCare savings to fund other priorities, most notably education.

February 6, 2005
Editorial: Off to a fast start (Commercial Appeal)
A centerpiece of the budget proposal Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen outlined last week was his call for a $25 million expansion in the Volunteer State's prekindergarten education program for "at-risk" 4-year-olds. The proposal is certain to be controversial. Sen. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, and other legislators already have questioned Bredesen's plan to use lottery revenues on a year-to-year basis to fund the pre-K expansion, which is estimated to cost $200 million to $275 million. Although the outcome of Bredesen's initiative is uncertain, child development professionals agree that education for children younger than 5 is critical to their intellectual, emotional and physical development.

Guest columnist: Tennessee also can have pre-K success (Commercial Appeal)
If Florida could do it, Tennessee can. I promise you. I'm not suggesting it will be easy. But it will be worth it. Beginning this August, the parents of every 4-year-old in Florida will have the opportunity to send their child to a "high-quality" state-funded prekindergarten program "delivered according to professionally accepted standards." The quotes are from the constitutional amendment Florida voters passed in 2002, by 59-41 percent, to authorize statewide pre-K education. The program is voluntary; no one is telling any parent that his or her 4-year-old must be enrolled in any setting. To encourage a wide variety of choices, prekindergarten classes will be available at public, private and faith-based sites that meet the quality standards set by the state. Tennessee could do all this too. Over these past few years, Florida, the nation's fourth most populous state, has progressed in educational achievement. But it remains a long way from the promised land of what is truly possible. Florida's per-pupil spending on education continues to rank among the lowest of the states. It has an appalling rate of high school dropouts and way too few college graduates. You Tennesseans cannot brag about your state's standing in those areas either. The very future of our two states will depend on understanding the imperative of early childhood investment.

Guest columnist: Foundation for success of pre-K plan (Commercial Appeal)
If early childhood education programs are built on research, experience and strong belief systems, specific indicators of high quality emerge. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) cites the following indicators of quality in programs such as ours: Smaller group sizes with lower teacher/child ratios to ensure safety and nurture. A well-trained, college-educated staff to provide interaction with children. Low staff turnover so children can maintain consistent relationships with caregivers. Activities and environments that are well-planned and developmentally appropriate for the age level of the children. Inclusion of parents through open access and sharing of decisions that affect their children. Sensitivity to cultural differences and a commitment to preserve each child's dignity and integrity.

Guest columnist: Sense of belonging is learned early (Commercial Appeal)
When a 4-year-old child first enters a classroom, she should be competent, curious and engaged in the world. Her independence is growing: She can dress and feed herself and use the bathroom unassisted. Her language skills enable her to communicate effectively. She is interested in sharing information about herself to others -- maybe her name and those of family members. Her growing muscle strength and coordination allow her to assemble a puzzle or paint a picture, as well as run, hop, skip and climb. Her interest in the printed word is demonstrated as she listens to someone read a storybook and later recounts the story's beginning, middle and ending. She may be able to reason her way through a daily dilemma. The wonder of this 4-year-old child is that all these aspects are developing simultaneously. However, our concern as early childhood educators is whether she feels comfortable as a human being in the context of other human beings. The classroom this very young child has entered has the potential to fulfill a unique need for a feeling of belonging and place within a community of same-age peers and interested adults.

Guest columnist: Pre-K plan seeds fertile learning years (Commercial Appeal)
Over the past month, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has outlined a 2005 legislative agenda that makes universal prekindergarten education a priority. In making his case to taxpayers and to legislators who must approve the plan, the governor can point to a mountain of evidence that supports such a program. Tennessee would join an increasing number of states that recognize that the investment in preschool education is simply smart policy. Research has long proved that high-quality early education is effective in preparing children to do well in school and contributes to increased high school graduation rates and reductions in community delinquency and youth crime. What we know is that the environment and experiences -- negative or positive -- in the first years of a child's life affect brain development in very dramatic ways. "If we had a comparable level of knowledge with respect to a particular form of cancer or hypertension or some other illness that affected adults, you can be sure we would be in action with great vigor," says Craig Ramey, a leading child education expert. There are plenty of persuasive economic arguments for investing in early education. One major research project, the Chicago Child Parent Center study, estimates every $1 investment produces a $7 savings, based on the costs of remedial education and justice system expenditures and in the increased earnings and projected tax revenues for participants.

Editorial: Honing a hunger for knowledge (Commercial Appeal)
Democrats and Republicans surely can agree on this issue. Liberals, conservatives and strict libertarians should be united. Changes in society that in some cases are highly regrettable have made early childhood education something that many communities cannot afford to ignore. Too many children in Memphis start kindergarten without the home and family foundation that prepares them to start learning, and from that point on it's just too hard to catch up. A collection of guest commentaries in today's Viewpoint section argues the case for a muscular prekindergarten program and explains Gov. Phil Bredesen's launch of a statewide voluntary effort. We can argue over the appropriate funding mechanism for the program -- whether proceeds from the state lottery should be tapped or the program should rely entirely on the state's general fund. But there's no credible argument against publicly funded pre-K. We can wish that all families had two parents and nobody was working two jobs. We can wish that all parents had libraries in their homes, read to their preschool children every night, limited television time and forbade video games. But we can't wish away the high numbers of children in this community who attend schools where the average scores on standardized tests and other measures of academic success do not reflect -- in the catchphrase of the No Child Life Behind Act -- adequate yearly progress.

Jan. 22- Feb. 2, 2005 News